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Changes between Version 13 and Version 14 of techies_of_color

Timestamp:: Aug 26, 2010, 7:16:48 PM (15 years ago)
Author:: alfredo
Comment:: --

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techies_of_color

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 Program Summary:
 This program provides an intense, supportive mentored training program for activists of color to become professional-level, politically progressive and movement involved technologists. At the end of a 15 month program, the trainee will be able to perform all server administration functions as well as basic code writing and other skills needed to plan, maintain and upgrade any organization's technology.
+This program provides an intense, supportive mentored training program for activists of color to become professional-level, politically progressive and movement involved technologists. At the end of a 15 month program, the trainee will be able to perform all server administration functions as well as basic code writing and other skills needed to plan, maintain and upgrade any organization or movement's technology.
 No other program of this type exists in this country.
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 The converging crises in the major capitalist economies, the precarious state of the world environment, the political crisis in government in so many of the world's countries and the usurpation of government authority by international banks and committees have brought humanity to a point of urgency and increasing certainty that something must be done to save humanity.
 The Internet, a community of more than 1.4 billion people world-wide, is one of humanity's responses. When all else fails, human beings come together to communicate and figure out how to survive; that is our legacy as a species. That's what's happening today with the Internet.
+Humanity's crisis demands greater communication and collaboration among the world's people. And humanity has been forging ahead in doing that with world-wide efforts like the World Social Forum and the Climate Control movement and, of course, the Internet.
 Humanity's crisis demands greater communication and collaboration among the world's people. And humanity has been forging ahead in doing that with world-wide efforts like the World Social Forum and the Climate Control movement and, of course, the Internet.
+The Internet, a community of more than 1.9 billion people world-wide, is one of humanity's responses. When all else fails, human beings come together to communicate and figure out how to survive; that is our legacy as a species. That's what's happening today with the Internet. It is the only sensible explanation for the stunning explosion of the Internet as both a technology and a world-wide community.
 The Internet is humanity's way of facilitating the communication necessary to make all this collaboration possible.
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 At the same time, the global crisis against which we're mobilizing depletes the resources required to build gatherings of large numbers of people. They are too large to put on, too expensive to get to and not capable of broadening the number of poor people attending. If we are going to ensure the progressive movements' continued collaboration world-wide, we are going to have to use the Internet and that is one reason why humanity invented it.
+In that context, the role of technologists becomes critically and centrally important. Techies are the leaders of the Internet because we run its technology and lead the work on its software.
+The Importance of the "techie"
+Progressive techies have a very special role to play:
+In that context, the role of technologists becomes critically and centrally important. Techies are the leaders of the Internet because they run its technology and lead the work on its software.
+* our political perspective prioritizes the use of the Internet and development of its software for organizing (rather than merely commerce);
+In that context, progressive techies have a very special role to play:
+* our political perspective prioritizes the use of the Internet and development of its software for organizing (rather than mere commerce);
 * our commitment to Free and Open Source Software makes us central to a struggle that is fundamental to the Internet's future;
 * the fierce opposition we have long had to controlling and interventionist government policies that favor corporations helps assure the Internet's essential independence and freedom;
+* the fierce opposition we have long had to controlling and interventionist government policies that favor corporations and repressive and intrusive policies that inhibit or control people's use of the Internet helps assure the Internet's essential independence and freedom;
 * and our politics give the progressive movement a leadership position within the Internet.
+* and our politics give the progressive movement a critically important leadership position within the Internet.
 The Problem
 There is one serious flaw in this promising picture, particularly in the United States: techies, the Internet's leaders, are mainly white men. This means that, while people of color can do a lot on the Internet, the machines that serve the Internet, the software that runs it and the power and ability to control and maintain the technology is in the hands of white people.
+There is one serious flaw in this promising picture, particularly in the United States: techies, the Internet's leaders, are mainly white men. This means that, while people of color can do a lot on the Internet, the management of the machines that serve the Internet; the creation and development of the software that runs it; and the power and ability to control and maintain the technology is in the hands of white people.
 This general problem is inherited by the progressive movement and, while progressive techies frequently lament the situation, not very much is being done about it.
+The problems emerging threaten the movement's successful use of technology and the marrying of technology with the movement's organizing work: the movement's two political priorities in dealing with the Internet.
+The problems emerging threaten the movement's successful use of technology and the marrying of technology with the movement's organizing work: the movement's two political priorities for the Internet.
+Who Does What and Why is That Important?
 To characterize and understand the dimensions of the problem, we need to understand the varying levels of engagement activists have with the Internet.
 Most of us just use it. We rely on it to function and to do what we want it to and what it says it will do. This is a good thing; it's what the Internet's technology is for. For us to be able to do that, however, we must rely on a smaller number of us who administer our servers.
+* Most of us use it in our work. We rely on it to function and to do what we want it to and what it says it will do. This is a good thing; it's what the Internet's technology is for. We have integrated the Internet into our political work and, to some extent, we design our political work around the Internet's capabilities -- even unconsciously -- day after day.
 Service Administrators, or Chief technologists, actually install and maintain websites and email programs and their work is critical to the functioning of any organization on-line. Many larger organizations have one of at least one person with these skills on staff; those who can't afford such a professional full-time have access to one or more for hourly work.
+For us to be able to do this, we rely on a smaller number of us who administer these resources.
+Finally, there are system administrators. These are people who
+* Service Administrators, or Chief technologists, actually install and maintain websites and email programs and their work is critical to the functioning of any organization on-line. Many larger organizations have one of at least one person with these skills on staff; those who can't afford such a professional full-time have access to one or more for hourly work.
+* Finally, there are system administrators. These are people who
 * keep the servers and systems that run the web, email and other services functional;
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 * install and upgrade the system software that actually runs servers
+* are there when something major breaks down, when the staff who run websites can't figure out a problem they're having, when a new server, networked computer or router must be installed, fixed or upgraded. In short, these are the people who run the system.
+* build servers and networks when necessary
+* are there when something major breaks down; when the staff who run websites can't figure out a problem they're having; when a new server, networked computer or router must be installed, fixed or upgraded. In short, these are the people who run the system.
 What is interesting is that many people look at the Internet and, like most of us who drive cars, see only the "vehicle" that moves and gets us places. They see the websites and they work with the email and they interact with lists. And when something goes wrong, they talk to their staff person who then either "fixes" it or, if they can't, makes a phone call to some other person most of us never see or meet.
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 Techies run systems, develop software, make major decisions about how we are going to use the Internet and what tools we will need. Unquestionably the final decision on Internet issues is still in the hands of very large and powerful corporations, the day to day, month to month decisions about what happens on the Internet are in the hands of techies. They run the Internet in a very practical sense. They can close it to people or open it up to the world. They determine how it will be used and how it will develop. They are the Internet's day to day leadership.
+To understand the impact of this it's important to remember that Internet functionality is fundamental to social change. Because it is so broad and popular, the Internet is the most important means of social organizing today. Virtually every demonstration, campaign, and movement developing in this country heavily uses Internet technology to communicate.
+The Politics of Techie Diversity
+To understand the impact of this it's important to remember that Internet functionality is fundamental to social change and the most important means of social organizing today. Virtually every demonstration, campaign, and movement developing in this country heavily uses Internet technology to communicate.
+The United States Social Forum movement, for example, would simply not be the same (as large, diverse or successful) if it weren't for the Internet on which it heavily relies. Everything at the USSF from registration to outreach to organization of transportation, housing and, of course, the over one thousand events that took place in Detroit was organized over the Internet.
+As chief technologists for the USSF, we adminstered the servers that hosted its websites and email lists and, in consultation with the other USSF leaders, we made many political decisions that affected server operations.
+Server Administration is very political and the composition of the people who make those political decisions is a critical issue.
 While the movement itself has made huge gains in "democratizing" its leadership through racial, gender and national diversification, the fact that the progressive movement's interaction with the Internet in this country is managed by white activists represents a significant weakness.
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 The amount of money, time and energy wasted or misdirected by this situation is inestimable. It's impossible to estimate the unimagineable investment made by organizations of color into proprietary software running servers, into the wide array of Windows software (which costs money and is not as effective as many Open Sources solutions), and the dependence on proprietary software like Google's array of aps and social networking software like Facebook.
+A simple attempt to acquire census data on specific areas of the country on-line can cost tens of thousands of dollars and that is a server-based software solution that could be developed by technologists if the interest were there.
+We have recently seen Google's strategic orientation in the deal it is attempting to make with Verizon to develop "access tiers" on the Internet which would virtually destroy the Internet as originally conceived. And the social networking tools, which stress one to one communication comprised of a few words, are actually contradictory with real organizing and movement building.
+In truth, the progressive techie community has made few strides in developing free and politically productive alternatives to these software packages partly because it doesn't see a real need: while people from all communities use Google aps and Facebook, young people from communities of color depend on it.
+And this trend continues with specific need situations. For example, a simple attempt to acquire census data on specific areas of the country on-line -- a need many organizations now have -- can cost a small fortune (often in the tens of thousands of dollars). That is a server-based software solution that could be developed by technologists and be offered to organizations for free if the interest were there.
 -- Far too little effort is made among techies in this country to combat technology barriers that keep people of color off-line, a situation that would definitely improve if there were more techies of color.
 While it is true that many young people of color now use the Internet in this country, that use has not crossed generational lines as it has with the majority communities. And that community of "young users" is constrained to very limited use patterns: mainly the kind of social networking software that allows for one to one communications but makes organizing very difficult.
+While it is true that many young people of color now use the Internet in this country, that use has not crossed generational lines as it has with the majority communities. And that community of "young users" is constrained to very limited use patterns: mainly the kind of social networking software that, as we said above, allows for one to one communications but makes organizing very difficult.
 There is very little software development that would facilitate organization among people of color and that's because people of color are doing software development.
+There is very little software development that would facilitate organization among people of color and that's because people of color are not doing software development.
 -- The Internet is, of course, a world phenomenon and one of its greatest contributions is uniting the world through its communication. The necessary and politically powerful collaborations among techies from various countries and parts of the world are crippled by the lack of background diversity among US-based techies. It's difficult to truly develop a collaboration when the US techies are all white and not reflective of the entire US culture.